Ontario Loud

This week we are back to reality! Julia Drydyk joins from the Canadian Centre to End Human Trafficking to talk about the effectiveness of the government's work on this important file. We also take you through the 2020 Ontario Budget, or Doug Ford's big expensive gift to big business.

Your nerves are frayed. You're watching the hours tick by. You're refreshing 538 a few times an hour. It's a big day. So we're promising a light dive into the potential impacts of the election in Ontario, a reflection on how we can strengthen our democracy here at home, and a mini Ontario Loud book club sesh.

Dr. Shiri Pasternak joins the pod to talk about the history and structures behind land theft from indigenous people in Ontario and across the country. Alexi, Alvin, and Chris talk about Doug Ford's seeming return to his old self, overturning municipal democracy, protecting big business, and rewarding social conservatives.

Garima talks with Sané Dube and Dr. Arjumand Siddiqi about what looking at disaggregated data can tell us about how the COVID-19 pandemic is having an unequal impact across the province. We also talk about the NDP Long-Term-Care Plan, increasing hydro rates, and the projected Ontario deficit.

Toronto, Peel, and Ottawa are back at home, Ford is re-tooling a Ford plant in Oakville, and Harman helps us reflect on the progress of the LGBTQ2S+ movement in Canada. CUPE Senior economist Angella McKewan joins Alvin to talk about what we need to think about when we talk about Basic Income. Big week. Big Pod.

In this one, we talk to a Rhodes Scholar about long-term care. 2020 continues it's relentless beating of our collective sanity by revealing that Doug Ford's government was totally unprepared for the second wave all along, is implementing small administrative changes to social assistance, and spent about as much money as a Liberal government would have, to no political or social benefit. You want it darker? OK!

Ian and Scott from Politicoast join to talk about the "pandemic election fever" that seems to be sweeping the nation, to similar fanfare as the actual deadly fever sweeping the nation. Garima, Alvin, Chris and Alexi talk about the Throne Speech and the Ford government's COVID preparedness.

Ontario Loud is back! This week, Queen's Park Today reporter Sabrina Nanji joins the pod to talk about how Ontario's parties are nominating candidates, and some rumblings about process in Toronto Centre. Chris, Sam, Alvin and talk about the Ford government's back to school strategy as COVID cases rise, as well as how the federal and provincial governments have shared the cost of the pandemic.

Chris, Alvin, Alexi, Garima and Sam celebrate Ontario Loud's 100th episode - if you count bonus pods and the Star Trek one (yes we all have regrets) by answering listener questions from the mailbag. We talk electoral reform, secrets at Queen's Park, what makes good and bad politicians, and much more.

Talia Bronstein from the Daily Bread Food Bank and Sasha McNicoll from Community Food Centres Canada join the pod to discuss how Canada's social safety net has left millions of Canadians in the position of not being able to afford food.